Power take-off for air circulating means



March 3, 1942.

A. G. BANCROFT POWER TAKE-OFF FOR AIR CIRCULATING MEANS Filed Feb. l5, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheva` l Patented Mar. 3, 1942 POWER TAKE-OFF FOR AIR CIRCULATIN G MEANS Alfred G. Bancroft, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company,l Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Dela- Ware Application February 15, 1941, Serial N o. 379,051

`(Cl. M -13) 8 Claims.

The invention relates to railway refrigerator cars and more particularly to such cars having fans in the lading or refrigerant compartment thereof for causing a circulation of air Within the car for refrigerating, heating or Ventilating the lading in the car wherein a pulley engages a wheel or axle of the truck of the car so as to be revolved thereby. Means are provided between the pulley and fan whereby revolution of the pulley revolves the fan.

A typical example of such a fan equipped refrigerator car is shown in Schwebs No. 2,136,894 of November 15, 1938.

A conventional refrigerator car is swivelly supported by trucks adjacent the opposite ends of the car so that the trucks may swing in a horizontal plane when the car rounds a curve in the track. One of the objects of the invention is to provide means to retain the above mentioned pulley in engagement with the Wheel or axle of the truck when the car goes around a curve. A further object is to provide means attached to the car body and associated with the truck so as to move therewith and maintain the pulley in operative relation with the Wheel or axle of the truck.

Vertically acting springs are associated with the truck to absorb the shocks of a moving car over a rough and uneven track and to yeldingly resist the tendency of the car to sway in service. Therefore, a further object is to provide means for the truck to move vertically relative to the car body without disengaging said pulley from said wheel or axle.

A further object is to provide means to temporarily disengage said pulley from said wheel or axle so that, if desired, the car may be moved along the track without actuating the means which operates the fan. This is also desirable so that the fan operating means may be actuated when the car is standing still by driving the pulley with an electric motor While precooling the lading. The lading is precooled, as it is called by the trade, by icing the bunkers and circulating air by means of a fan between the ice compartment and the lading compartment. This is done while the car is standing still; that is, before it starts moving to its destination.

Another object is to provide means to support such a pulley from the car body independently of the car truck so that a truck may be removed and replaced without disturbing the pulley or its associated elements.

A further object is to provide means in such a railway refrigerator car to attach the pulley to the body of the car so as to provide universal movement between the pulley and the car body so that the pulley will remain in engagement with the wheel of the truck during the numerous and various relative movements between the car body and the truck.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a part of the body of a refrigerator car showing the truck in an elevational view and showing my invention applied to the car.

Fig. 2 is a portion of Fig. 1 drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

l Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modied construction.

The general parts of the refrigerator car shown include roof 2, floor 3, end Wall 5 and bulkhead 6 spaced from the end wall 5 to divide the interior of the car into a refrigerant bunker 8 and a lading compartment 9. A similar bunker is lpreferably provided at the opposite end of the car. The bulkhead 6 is spaced from the roof 2 and floor 3 to provide openings II, I2 for air circulation between the bunker 8 and lading compartment 9. A fan I4 is provided, preferably in the upper opening II, to induce or accelerate such circulation of air and means are provided for driving the fan. Such means, in the preferred form shown, comprises a hydraulic turbine I5 operatively connected to the fan I4 and driven by a uid pumped under pressure to the turbine from a pump I'I driven by means hereinafter described. The pressure line from pump to turbine is indicated by I8 and the return line by 20, a reservoir 2l preferably being provided in the return line 20. The fan I4 may be driven by other means, such as a flexible shaft, if desired.

The underframe of the car includes the center sill 25 and body bolster 26 and the floor stringers 28 are supported in part by the bolster 26. The body bolster 26 is swivelly supported upon the truck bolster 29 which in turn is yieldingly supported on the truck side frames 3| by the helical springs 32 interposed therebetween. The side `frames 3| are provided with bearings 34 on their opposite ends in which are journaled axles having the wheels 35 mounted thereon. A similar truck is provided at the opposite end of the car.

In the form of invention disclosed herein, the pulley 40 is pivotally mounted upon a bracket 4I which is pivotally mounted upon a rod or other member 43 for vertical swinging movement to accomodate the variation in distance between the car body and wheels 35 caused by deflection of springs 32. The bracket 4I is also slidably mounted upon the member 43 to move laterally of the car to accommodate the swinging movement of the truck when the car rounds a curve. These swinging and sliding movements may occur independently or simultaneously. The rod 43 is preferably provided with a flexible (leather) shield to protect the rod and keep it smooth so that the bracket 4l will slide easily thereon.

The bracket 4I is also provided* with spaced apart arms 45, 45 engaging opposite sides of some part of the car truck (preferably the compression member 48 of the truck side frame 3| as shown) to cause the bracket 4l to slide upon the member 43 when the truck swings in a horizontal plane.

In the modiiication shown, the pump I1 is preferably mounted upon the bracket 4I and operatively connected to the pulley 4B.

When it is desired to temporarily disengage the pulley 49 from the car wheel 35, the bracket 4I is raised and the upstanding hook 52 on the bracket 4l is attached to the hook 53 depending from the car body. When the pulley 4l] is thus disengaged, the fan I4 may be operated by the use of an extraneous motor (not shown in the drawings) to drive the pump Il.

Fig. 4 showsV a modification wherein the member 51 comprises a rolled I beam and the bracket 53 is provided with rollers 60 engaging the opposite sides of the lower nange 6| of the li beam 57. This is similar to the sliding engagement hereinabove described, and the bracket-58 comprises two parts pivoted 63 to permit upward and downward movement of the pulley as the springs 32 deflect.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I'claim:

1. A power take-ofi device for transmitting power from the wheel of a railway car truck to a mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said device comprising a member mounted upon the body of the car, a bracket slidably and rotatably mounted upon said member, and a pulley mounted upon said bracket and arranged to engage a wheel of the truck of the car, said pulley adapted to be operatively associated with mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car.

2. A power take-off device for transmitting power from the wheel of a railway car truck to a mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said device comprising a member mounted upon the body of the car, a bracket slidably mounted upon said member at least a part of said bracket being rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, and a pulley mounted upon said bracket and arranged to engage a wheel of the truck ofthe car, said pulley adapted to be operatively associated with mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car.

3. A power take-off device for transmitting power from the wheel of a railway car truck to a mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said device comprising a round rod mounted upon the body of the car, a bracket comprising a round bearing slidably and rotatably mounted upon said rod, and a pulley mounted upon said bracket and arranged to engage a wheel of the truck of the car, said pulley adapted to be operatively associated with mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car.

4. A power take-off device for transmitting power from the wheel of a railway car truck to a mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said device comprising a member mounted upon the body of the car, a bracket slidably and rotatably mounted upon said member, a pulley mounted upon said bracket and arranged to engage a wheel of the truck of the car, said pulley adapted to be operatively associated with mechanism for operating an air circulatingy fan inthe car, and means to keep said pulley engaged with said wheel.

5. A power take-off device for transmitting power from the wheel of a railway car truck to a mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said device comprising a member mounted upon the body of the car,a bracket slidably and rotatably mounted upon said member, and a pulley mounted upon said bracket and arranged to engage a wheel of the truck of the car, said pulley adapted to be operatively associated with mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said bracket having associated therewith means operatively engaging a part ofsaid truck to keep said pulley engaged with said wheel.

6. A power take-off device for transmitting power from the wheel of a railway car truck to a mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said device comprising a member mounted upon the body of the car, a bracket slidably mounted upon said member at least a part of said bracket being rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, and a pulley mounted upon said bracket and arranged to engage a wheel of the truck of the car, said pulley adapted to be operatively associated with mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said bracket having associated therewith spaced apart arms arranged to straddle a part of said truck to keep said pulley engaged with said wheel.

7. A structure as deiined in claim 5, including means to temporarily disengage said second mentioned means from said part of said truck and simultaneously disengage said pulley from said wheel,

8. A power take-01T device for transmitting power from the wheel of a railway car truck to a mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said device comprising a pulley positioned to engage a wheel of the truck and be rotated thereby and adapted to be operatively associated with mechanism for operating an air circulating fan in the car, said pulley being suspended from the car body so as to move vertically and horizontally relative to the car body as the truck moves over a curve in the track, and means on the ca r truck to keep the pulley engaged with the wheel when the` truck moves over a curve in the track.

ALFRED G. BANCROF'I. 

